


A Treasure for the Find

by tiniestmite



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Fun, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28060602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: A collection of Tarlos ficlets prompted by my Tumblr followers to celebrate reaching a milestone. Each ficlet is around 500 words to celebrate reaching 500 followers. Most of them are some form of hurt/comfort because that's my ~specialty~ but there are some lighter ones mixed in too.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	1. #80 - "I know you don't care, you don't have to pretend." (requested by terramous)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts are CLOSED
> 
> Title from "Pansy Waltz" by Shakey Graves

TK feels like the world is ending when he arrives home from his shift.

Okay maybe that’s a little too dramatic, but it was a really bad day. Not that anything particularly bad happened, but it still felt like with everything he did, the word was out to get him. He was tired of getting yelled at for everything he did, someone was harping on him for it. And once he settled in the bad mood, everything someone else did pissed him off too for that matter.

“Hey,” Carlos appears in the living room and greets him. “How was your day?”

TK shrugs, unphased by Carlos’ comment and moves past him.

Before he can get any further into the house Carlos stops him. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, it’s fine.”   
  
“TK, come on. Just talk to me,” Carlos coaxes him softly with a warm smile. A smile that normally has TK swooning, but today not so much.

“Carlos, stop,” he snaps. He knows Carlos is just trying to be there for him, but he’s made it clear that he would rather not talk about it. “I know you don’t care, you don’t have to pretend.”

_ Well that gets him to stop. _

Immediately, Carlos backs away with a wounded look in his eyes.

“What gave you the impression that I don’t care?” he asks quietly.

_ Shit. _

He really didn’t mean it to come off that way; TK was just frustrated and annoyed. Now he went and hurt the one person that did care by claiming that he didn’t. Of course, he screws something else up.

“Forget it,” he moves past Carlos, feeling the tears begin to well in his eyes. He bee-lines to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He fumbles with the lock a little, struggling to see beyond his blurry vision before he gives up and slides down the wall, letting his emotions overcome him in a giant sob.

Once the tears start flowing, he can’t stop crying. Each tear droplet that rolls down his face serves as a reminder for everything bad that happened today, and that he pushed away the one person who tried to make an effort to fix it. 

He hears a soft knock on the door. “TK?”

He stops crying, but doesn’t answer. Instead, he stares intently at the door, unable to believe that Carlos still cares enough to check on him despite TK just saying that the other man did not care at all. 

Carlos knocks again, before slowly turning the knob. At first he looks like he’s about to confront TK but he takes in the other man’s disheveled appearance and his face softens. He takes a seat in front of TK and grabs his hands in his. “You know I care about you right? More than anything.”

TK nods and Carlos continues. “So what’s really going on?”

“I just-,” TK takes a shaky breath “I’m so used to keeping everything bottled up.”

Carlos nods. “I understand. But you don’t have to do that with me, okay?”   
  
TK smiles and nods again. 

“Now I want to hear all about what’s really bothering you.”


	2. #14 - “Please don’t tell me you filmed that.” “Of course I filmed it.” (requested by brilliantbanshee)

TK isn’t quite sure who suggested going to a karaoke bar on a date, but whoever it was he owed a thousand thanks. 

When he and Carlos first arrive, neither of them plan on going up and singing. Instead they agree it would be much more fun to watch and cheer other strangers on. 

But as the night progresses, Carlos starts talking more about how much fun it looked. TK on the other hand is more than happy to sit back and watch other people go up, including Carlos.

Though of course Carlos knows that in order to get up on that stage, he might need alcohol in his system first. So after the other man downs his what’s probably his fourth beer of the night, Carlos gains enough confidence to sign up for the next slot. TK watches with amusement as Carlos shifts around uncomfortably while waiting for his turn, before stumbling up onto the stage.

“How’s everyone doing tonight,” Carlos slurs into the microphone and is met with a few scattered “woo’s”

_ Oh my god. _

TK immediately takes out his phone to start recording. 

_ This is going to be good. _

When the opening of “Don’t Stop Believin” begins to play, Carlos erupts into the biggest grin and starts to bob his head. TK has to bite back a laugh. Of course his boyfriend picks one of the most overdone karaoke songs in the book.

As soon as Carlos starts singing, TK nearly falls out of his chair. It’s not that he’s bad, per say, but watching the other man sing with such confidence is something TK will never let him live down. 

By the time it gets to the guitar solo, Carlos is rocking out, air guitar and all. He belts out the chorus, as TK cheers him on. He loves how much Carlos is getting into it, in stark contrast to his normally low-key personality.

When he finishes the song, the entire bar bursts into applause. It’s clear that the people that sing with more confidence are usually the most popular. And Carlos might have been the one with the most confidence of them all.

“Thank you,” he slurs into the microphone, nearly knocking it over in the process.

TK sets his phone on the table as Carlos stumbles back over to him. He looks giddy with excitement, thriving on the adrenaline from his spectacular performance.

“You did so amazing up there, baby,” TK stands up, pulling Carlos in for a kiss before the pair sit back down.

“Thank you,” Carlos replies, giving a mock bow before his eyes settle on TK’s phone. “Please don’t tell me you filmed that.”

“Of course I filmed it,” TK laughs. “It was incredible, one of the best performances of the night in my humble opinion. In fact, I already sent the video to Michelle to get her expert karaoke take.”

Carlos groans, resting his head on the table. 

While he may not appear often, drunk Carlos is definitely a version of Carlos that TK loves. 


	3. #48 - “Oh, thank God you’re awake.” (requested by blakestrand)

When Carlos’ peaceful sleep is interrupted by an intense buzzing, at first he thinks that it’s his alarm going off already. But with the room still very dark, he quickly realizes that it’s his phone ringing.

Knowing that he only has a few numbers set to bypass when his phone is put on “do not disturb” he pulls his arm out of the warm covers and reaches around until he grabs the ringing device.

“Hello?” he answers sleepily.

_ “Oh, thank God you’re awake.” _

“TK?” 

It’s not unusual for TK to call him if he’s bored or having trouble falling asleep. But upon hearing the way his voice quavers on the other end tells Carlos that there’s some bigger going on here.

_ “Y-yeah, I’m sorry for calling you” _

Carlos sits up in bed, flicking on the switch for the light on his nightstand. “Please don’t apologize. What’s going on?”

_ “I- I shouldn’t have called-“ _

At first it sounds like TK is going to say more before Carlos hears an audible sob on the other end of the line.

“Hey TK, it’s okay. Just breathe with me, okay? In, one, two, three. And out, one, two, three.”

They repeat the process several times before Carlos can tell that TK has calmed down and his sobs have turned into shaky yet somewhat steady breaths.

_ “I’m sorry.” _

“I told you not to apologize,” Carlos’ heart sinks at how distraught his boyfriend still sounds. “What’s going on?”

_ “It’s silly.” _

“It’s not silly if it has you this upset, TK.”

_ “I had a bad dream,”  _ he hears the other man sigh before speaking up again.  _ “I don’t even remember what happened but I woke up and I was so scared and my chest was tight and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.” _

Carlos knows the feeling. He’s been there in fact. But his heart still aches hearing TK recount his terrifying moments.

_ “I don’t even remember making the decision to call you. I guess I just did it on impulse.” _

“That’s more than okay, baby,” Carlos tries to reassure him. “Do you feel better now?”

_ “Yeah, I do. Thank you. Did I wake you up?” _

Carlos pauses before giving a hesitant “no.”

_ “Of course I did. Shit, Carlos I’m really sorry.” _

“No, hey, it’s totally fine TK,” Carlos smiles. “I’m really glad you called me and that I could help you. Plus, I always love hearing your voice.”

_ “Really?” _

Carlos nods before remembering the other man can’t see him. “Yes, of course. It’s almost as good as being with you in person.”

_ “Well, you could always come over…” _

“Oh?” Carlos smiles to himself, his heart warming at the fact that his boyfriend wants him to come over despite the late hour. “Isn’t your dad home?”

_ “Yeah, but you know he doesn’t mind. In fact, sometimes I think he likes you more than he likes me.” _

“Now that’s definitely not true,” Carlos laughs. “I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

_ “Can’t wait.” _

As the call disconnects Carlos smiles before getting out of bed.


	4. #17 - “I can’t stay mad at you, and that pisses me off.”  (requested by howtosingit)

Plopping down on the couch next to TK, Carlos smiles. In fact, anything he did with TK seemed to bring a smile to his face.

They had just finished dinner and were now settling in to watch something on TV before retiring to bed for the night. To an outsider, their relationship may appear low-key but it was this exact domesticity that Carlos loved about what they had. 

Not to mention, after they both had long shifts relaxing on the couch and mindlessly watching television is exactly what they need.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” Carlos asks, taking in how his boyfriend mentally goes through all his options. Though Carlos is sure he already knows the answer.

“ _ The Office _ ?” 

_ There it is. _

Carlos laughs. Nearly every time TK has control over the remote, one can basically guarantee that’s what will be on the TV. 

“If that’s what you want to watch, that’s fine.”

“Is that what you want to watch?” 

“I asked you what you wanted to watch. You get to pick tonight,” Carlos brushes him off. 

TK turns to face him, not willing to let this go. “Yeah, but is that what  _ you  _ want to watch?”

“I mean, it’s not my favorite show,” Carlos squirms uncomfortably in his seat. “But honestly, I have no problem watching it with you.”

TK looks like Carlos just slapped him. “Excuse me?”

“I just don’t find it that funny. But like I said, it’s fine. Just pick an episode, okay?” Carlos tries to change the subject but TK doesn’t appear ready to drop this anytime soon. 

“I can’t believe this.”   
  
“TK, it’s okay. We don’t have to like the same shows.”   
  
“Yes but this is my favorite show.”

The serious look on TK’s face only makes Carlos grin, biting back a laugh. He’s certain his elated expression is what causes TK to break from a stern look into a soft smile.

“Wait, no, shit,” he curses, wiping away his positive look.

Carlos laughs at his boyfriend's frustration. “Are you okay?”

“I just,” TK sighs. “I can’t stay mad at you, and that pisses me off.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”   
  
TK groans and Carlos puts his arm around him. 

“I’m still offended you don’t like my favorite show,” he mumbles in Carlos’ chest.

“I would be shocked if you weren’t.”

“We really don’t have to watch it, if you’d rather watch something else,” TK says softly, looking up at Carlos.

Carlos smiles, knowing his boyfriend is sincere. “Nope, I asked you what you wanted to watch. So  _ The Office  _ is what we’re going to watch.”

The grin that returns to his boyfriend's face is enough to tell Carlos that sitting through another 20 minute episode is worth it. “Just promise me you’ll pick a good episode?”

“They’re all good, Carlos.”

“Of course,” Carlos concedes and smiles, placing a kiss on TK’s head. “My bad.”

He watches as TK scrolls through various episodes on Netflix before finally settling on the season four episode, “Dinner Party.” He knows TK picked that one on purpose, as he’s explained multiple times to Carlos on why it’s his favorite. 

And as TK laughs throughout the episode, Carlos’ heart warms and he knows that it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t understand what makes it so funny. What does matter is that it makes TK happy.


	5. #31 - “Everyone wanted to give up on me, except you.” (requested by mtnofgrace)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second part to chapter 1

Sitting on the bathroom floor in tears, TK is sure that the night couldn’t get worse. 

Just a few minutes earlier, TK lashed out at Carlos. The other man was just trying to help him and TK pushed him away.

But with Carlos now sitting in front of him, with his arms wide open and ready for TK to open up to him, he does in fact feel worse. 

He feels worse because no matter how much TK pushes him away, Carlos loves him unconditionally enough to come right back.

“Do you want to get up? Can’t be very comfortable sitting on the hard floor,” Carlos says after receiving no reply from his earlier comment on asking TK about what’s bothering him.

TK nods, accepting Carlos' hand who pulls him up from the floor. 

They walk wordlessly down the hall and enter the bedroom. Carlos lays down the bed first, opening his arms up to TK, who wastes no time curling up into the other man's embrace. 

He knows Carlos is waiting for him to speak up, to explain what’s going on in his head. But honestly, he’s having trouble finding the right words to describe how he’s feeling. His brain is a mess of thoughts and no matter how hard he thinks about it, he can’t pinpoint exactly what made today so difficult.

So instead, they lay there silently with TK leaning against Carlos, the subtle rise and fall of his chest soothing his prior anxiety. At one point he thinks he might start crying again. He isn’t sure what he did to deserve being with such an incredible man. How he can snap at him yet everything will be okay only a few minutes later.

“I’m sorry,” he says, finally breaking the silence.

Carlos shifts so he’s looking down at him, confused. “For what?”

“For what I said earlier. About you not caring. I didn’t mean it.”   
  
“I know,” the other man nods. 

“I’m just,” TK sighs. “I’m not used to being with someone who cares so much about me.”

Carlos looks like he’s about to say something but instead his face softens and he pulls TK closer. 

Leaning into Carlos’ embrace, TK feels an immense feeling of comfort wash over him. “Everyone wanted to give up on me, except you.”

At first he’s not sure Carlos even heard him, having said it quite softly, as if he was afraid to admit it to himself.

But when he feels Carlos shift again so he’s in more of a seated position, TK follows him and can see the other man is just processing what TK said. 

“TK,” Carlos finally says, gently cupping his cheek. 

TK feels his breath catch at the intimate touch. The soft look in his big brown eyes makes him feel warm inside.

“You know I’m never going to give up on you, right?” Carlos continues. “And everyone who did give up on you, they don’t matter anymore. You’re safe now and you don’t have to hide yourself from me. I’m here for you, through all the ups and downs and highs and lows.”

TK nods, tears welling in his eyes, this time from happiness. He returns to his position curled up against Carlos, where he doesn’t plan to move for the foreseeable future. 


	6. #100 - “You love me?” “Of course I do, you dork.” (requested by lire-casander)

Watching Carlos squirm uncomfortably in the hospital bed is not how TK envisioned they would be spending their night off. In fact, he definitely didn’t see them taking a trip to the emergency room at all.

Their original plan was for Carlos to cook him a wonderful, delicious dinner, which TK was very much looking forward to. Those plans were quickly interrupted when TK heard a sharp yelp from the kitchen. When he had entered, he found Carlos on the verge of tears running his burned hand under cool water.

  
He had tried to insist that it wasn’t that bad but TK had enough paramedic training to know that the burn was at least a severe first degree, maybe even second. So he drove his stubborn boyfriend to the hospital and now watching him absentmindedly pick at the rim of his hospital gown with his non-burned hand and stare off into space, TK feels upset that they’re spending yet another evening in the hospital.

While he is disappointed that their dinner date was ruined, he’s more concerned with his boyfriend’s well-being. Especially since said boyfriend appears to be rather calm having just burned quite a bit of skin off his hand from what TK could tell before a nurse wrapped some white gauze around it. 

“What are you thinking about?” Carlos asks, breaking TK from his thoughts.

“Nothing,” TK shrugs, not wanting to explain how emotional he’s getting over something so small. Not when Carlos is the one hurt, not him.

“It must be something, based on how lost in thought you seemed.”

“You don’t seem to be bothered by the fact that you’re in the hospital. Or that you burned your hand off.”

Carlos laughs. “Well first of all, I didn’t burn my hand off. The doctor said it’s only a first degree burn. And second, I mean I don’t like being here but I am, so why should i be upset over it?”

“It’s just,” TK sighs. “It’s hard to see someone you love in the hospital, okay?”

“What?” 

“Sorry, I don’t mean that to make this about me. I-”

He’s cut off by Carlos grabbing his hand and smiling. “You said ‘it’s hard to see someone you love in the hospital.’ You love me?”

“Of course I do, you dork,” TK returns the smile. Honestly he didn’t even realize that had slipped out. But it’s not something he was hiding. He knew from the moment he first laid eyes on Carlos Reyes that he had fallen hard for those brown eyes and curls. And the more time they spent together, the more he realized just how much he adored the other man. While it scared him at first, he soon realized what a great team they made and allowed himself to fully commit to their relationship.

“I love you too,” Carlos replies. “I wasn’t exactly picturing this setting as the place where we declare our love for each other but I guess it works.”

TK laughs. “I mean between the two of us, we spend enough time here, so I actually think it’s kind of fitting.”

“Good point.”


	7. #74 - "I’m a monster.” (requested by moviegeek03)

It happens fast.

One minute Carlos is laying down on the couch cuddling with TK, the two men wrapped around each other trying to make the most of their limited space on the cushions and giggling about how easier it would be to just move to their bed. The next Carlos finds himself on the floor, wincing in pain from the short drop. 

He looks up to find TK laughing at his clumsiness at first. “Are you okay?”

_ Is he okay? _

“Maybe,” he replies. The fall itself wasn’t that bad, with the couch not that high above the floor. But it’s the way his knee twisted as he landed that has him concerned. 

He moves to a seated position, doing his best to ignore the sharp pains that pulse through his knee as he brings it up closer to his chest to get a better look. Once he realizes how much it’s swelling already, he notices that TK is no longer laughing.

“Shit, Carlos,” he says, moving down to the floor to sit next to him. He carefully cradles Carlos’ knee to examine it better. “I’m sorry, that doesn’t look good. I didn’t realize you fell that hard.”

“Who knew cuddling on the couch could be this dangerous?” he jokes and lightly laughs, but TK just gives him a concerned look.

“I’m going to get you some ice. I’ll be right back.”

True to his word, TK disappears before reappearing only a few seconds later with an ice pack in one hand and his phone in the other. He places the ice pack gently on Carlos’ swollen knee and Carlos tries to bite back a whimper as the pain increases upon contact. 

TK then takes out his phone and Carlos can’t help but wonder what his boyfriend is up to.

“Who are you calling?”

“I’m not calling anyone,” he replies defensively, before turning his attention back to his device. “I’m texting Michelle.”

“Why would you do that? I’m perfectly fine,” he grimaces, before attempting to prove it by standing up. But before he can get too far, the pain flares up in his knee and he feels TK easing him back down.

“I call bullshit. I know you. The more ‘fine’ you are the worse it is.”

Carlos glares at him. “Okay, but you still don’t have to get Michelle involved. You worry too much. This is not as serious as you’re making it out to be.”

“Right, of course,” he rolls his eyes. “I care about my boyfriend's health so much. I’m a monster.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

TK smiles. “Yeah, I do. But it’s okay. You’re in pain so I can forgive you.”

“TK,” Carlos whines. He knows TK is just messing with him to distract him from the pain, and to make him forget that his paramedic best friend will also likely be knocking on the door any minute. “Well I haven’t forgiven you for betraying my trust and contacting Michelle.”

“I can live with that, if it means you get the proper medical attention,” TK winks and Carlos just pouts.


	8. #55 - "No one can know about this.” (requested by sneetchestoo)

“Are you sure about this, TK?” Carlos asks hesitantly, watching the other man lace up his roller skates. 

It shouldn’t surprise Carlos that his boyfriend is anxious to show off his skating abilities. When they saw the skates on sale, TK refused to leave the store until they put it in their cart. They also didn’t even make it through the door before TK sat down on Carlos’ front porch and was eagerly taking the skates out of the box. 

“I told you, I used to skate all the time as a kid,” TK tells him again. “Ice skates, roller skates, I’m practically a professional.”

Carlos laughs. “Yeah, okay. Well I for one, can’t wait to see this.”

“Help me up?” TK extends his hand, which Carlos takes and pulls him up. 

At first TK wobbles as he gains his footing on wheels, but he soon is steady and flashes Carlos his signature grin. “Told you, practically a professional.”

Carlos takes a seat on the porch step as TK skates toward the sidewalk. He gives Carlos a wink before skating off in one direction. 

TK was right, he is a natural. The way he moves effortlessly down the street makes Carlos smile. 

_ Is there anything this man can’t do? _

Carlos continues to watch TK skate back and forth in front of his home. Each time he turns, he glances over to Carlos with the proudest grin plaster on his face. It’s clear he’s having a great time, and Carlos couldn’t be happier to watch him.

Just when he’s about to make a comment on how he was wrong to ever doubt TK on his skills, he watches in slow motion how the other man loses his balance and falls face down onto pavement. 

Carlos immediately stands up and makes his way over to him.

“Are you okay?” Carlos asked, concern laced through his voice. 

TK winces, pushing himself up to a seated position. “Yeah. Just a little embarrassed, I think.”

“Well if it helps, I thought you were doing very well up until this moment,” Carlos kneels down next to him and smiles. “Be honest though, does anything hurt? Did you hit your head? You really should have been wearing a helmet.”

“Carlos, hey, I’m fine. My face hurts a little but it’s not bad. And my wounded ego, of course.”

“Of course,” Carlos repeats, trying not to laugh too much. He cradles TK’s face gently, noticing the bruising that is already beginning to form. “Well, you’re going to have some nice bruises from this little adventure.”

TK groans. “Great. No one can know about this.”

“Well you better start working on your lie now because I don’t think these bruises are going to go unnoticed.”

“You don’t think so?” TK laughs. “Well you better be prepared to go along with whatever I come up with then.”

“Of course, whatever you want baby,” Carlos smiles, pulling TK in for a soft kiss. “Now why don’t we get you inside and cleaned up?”

TK nods, allowing Carlos to pull him up and lead him in the house.


	9. #77 - “What did you expect? For everything to just go back to normal?” (requested by teaamfreewill)

“Hey, how was your first day back?” Carlos greets TK as he enters through the door.

“Not great,” he huffs. In fact, it was way less than great if he was being honest. 

Today was his first shift back on duty after getting shot several weeks ago. While his dad was hesitant to bring him back soon, the stitches were healing up fine and TK was more than eager to start doing what he loves again.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

TK meets Carlos’ eye. Of course his boyfriend is being more than understanding, ready to hear him complain about anything and everything. But not wanting to burden Carlos with his issues, he shakes his head. 

“Okay,” Caros nods. “Well, dinner is just about ready so why don’t you take a seat.”

Just a few minutes later, Carlos brings out two plates of his signature chicken marsala and they begin to eat. The only noise between the couple is the scratching of forks against the plates. TK knows Carlos is waiting for him to speak up first. He also knows that if he’s not going to talk about his day, he should probably be polite and ask about Carlos’ or at least mention how good the dinner is.    
  


But instead, he focuses his attention on each bite and not the awkward silence that fills the room.

“Okay TK, you have to give me something,” Carlos says exasperated. “I can’t just sit here in silence.”

“It just wasn’t a good shift,” he says, hoping that it will satisfy Carlos. But with the other man looking at him, waiting to elaborate, he sighs. “My dad barely let me go on any calls with the team. And the calls I did go on, I didn’t even get to do anything.”

“I see…”

“Yeah, it’s just frustrating. I was so ready to come back to work, and now I am but it’s not the same.”

“I mean, what did you expect? For everything to just go back to normal?” Carlos says, somewhat amusedly. 

TK pouts. “Yeah, I did actually. The doctor cleared me, so I’m good to go.”

“Physically, yes. But what about mentally?”

“I’m fine, Carlos.”

“You were shot, TK,” Carlos plainly states. “This wasn’t just a minor injury. This was something very traumatic that you went through and it’s going to take more than just your stitches healing for things to go back to normal.”

TK nods, processing what Carlos is telling him. 

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy for your dad either. He was there when it happened and it can’t be easy seeing you back on the job again with the constant threat of something going wrong.”

TK freezes. He wasn’t even considering how his dad must view all this. “Shit, yeah I didn’t think of it like that.”

Carlos smiles sympathetically, reaching across the table to grab his hand. “Hey, it will all go back to normal eventually. It’s just going to take time.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” TK replies, giving his hand a squeeze before they return to their meals. “Now why don’t you tell me about your day?”


	10. #94 - “I could think of worse ways to die.” (requested by letitialewiss)

As soon as TK wakes up, he notices that the bed is empty next to him. Considering they both fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon, wrapped in each other's arms, TK finds it a little strange. Honestly, he would love nothing more than to curl up against his boyfriend and continue to lay there for the rest of the day.

But his curiosity gets the best of him and he forces himself to get out of bed. Stepping out of the bedroom, TK’s nostrils are immediately filled with a savoury smell that he can’t quite put his finger on. 

The site that greets him in the kitchen immediately puts a smile on his face; Carlos standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot and mumbling the words to his favorite song, oblivious to the fact that TK is now watching him.

“Mmm, this smells delicious. What are you making?” TK says, coming up to Carlos from behind and wrapping his arms around him. The other man jumps at first but softens in TK’s embrace. 

Up closer, TK can now see that Carlos is stirring a pot of maroon red liquid that smells even better up close. 

Carlos smirks, leaning over to press a soft kiss to TK’s lips. “Well it was supposed to be a surprise. But my mom gave me a recipe for the pie she used to make all the time when I was a kid.”

“Ooh, I’m excited to try it.”

“I’m excited for you to try it,” Carlos says. “Wait until you taste it. The way the berries interact is like a symphony in your mouth.”

“Sounds incredible,” TK smiles before he processes exactly what Carlos just said. “Wait, what kind of berries are in this?”

“Uh, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries,” he lists off. “Is that okay?”

“Oh yeah, it sounds delicious,” TK laughs lightly. “I am allergic to raspberries though.”

“Oh shit, TK. I had no idea!” 

“It’s fine,” TK says, reassuring his boyfriend’s worried expression. “It’s not that bad of an allergy, I’m sure it would be fine to have a little taste.”

Carlos glares at him. “You cannot be serious, TK.”

“I really want to try it,” he pouts.

“I’m not letting you risk an allergic reaction just so you can try it. No way.”

“Oh come on, Carlos. I can think of worse ways to die,” he jokes lightly but Carlos isn’t hearing it.

“This isn’t funny, TK.”

“Okay, okay,” TK resigns and Carlos gives him a sympathetic smile.

“You know, I can always just adjust the recipe…”

“I mean it’s not the same,” TK pouts. “But I guess it’s better than nothing.”

“I promise I will make it just as, if not more delicious,” Carlos offers while pulling TK in for a hug. When they break, he gives him a smile. “You understand why I can’t let you eat this no matter how much you pout, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” TK gives him a small smile and chuckles lightly. “You said the adjusted recipe will be better?”

“Yes,” Carlos laughs. “I promise.”


	11. #35 - "Don't touch me." (requested by anon)

Carlos isn’t exactly sure what to expect when he walks into the firehouse. When Judd called him and said that TK needed him, he practically sped across the city to get there, worrying that something very bad had happened. Luckily this was his day off and he was ready to assist TK in whatever way needed and find out what was going on.

But now that he’s here, the firehouse seems to be moving along as usual. 

He meets Judd’s eye as the other man walks down the stairs. “Reyes, hey. Thanks for coming.”

“Is TK okay?”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. He just won’t talk to anyone and doesn’t want anyone to go near him. Thought you would know how to get through to him. He’s up in the bunk room.”

“Okay, thanks Judd,” he clasps the other man on the back, before heading up the stairs. From the way Judd describes it, it sounds like TK is experiencing some sensory overload, maybe experiencing a panic attack. Though TK had explained both of those things happen occasionally, it’s never happened at work before. Or at least it’s never been bad enough to concern his team enough to get ahold of Carlos.

The great thing about spending so much time with TK is that he has the layout of the firehouse memorized. Walking down the hall, he enters the bunkroom and immediately spots TK sitting on his. He has his knees pulled up close to his chest and is staring off into space. Carlos’ heart sinks seeing his boyfriend in this state.

He moves quietly over to the bed, sitting on the other end opposite TK as not to startle him too much. “Hey, baby. What can I do?”

When he doesn’t get a reply from TK, he scooches closer and goes to place a comforting hand on TK’s knee but TK cuts him off, unmoving. “Just, don’t touch me. Please.”

“Okay,” he nods, pulling his hand back. Though TK’s word slightly sting, Carlos tries not to take it too much to heart. He knows his boyfriend is struggling and is ready to do whatever he can to make him feel better. 

“Can you just,” TK looks up at him, finally meeting his eye. “Sit here with me?”

Carlos gives him a sympathetic smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”

TK nods, returning to his zoned out state. Carlos watches as continues to take shaky breaths, counting each one as he breathes in and out. Eventually he notices how TK’s tense shoulders begin to relax and he holds his hand out to Carlos. 

Carlos hesitantly takes his hand and gives it a light squeeze.

“Thank you,” TK says quietly.

“Of course. Do you want to talk about it?”

TK thinks about it for a second before shaking his head. “We’ve just taken a few rough calls today and there was a lot going on here and I don’t know. I’m sorry they called you. This is kinda embarrassing.”

“Hey, no, it’s not embarrassing and you don’t have to apologize for it,” Carlos gives him a reassuring smile. “I’m glad I’m here and that I could help you. You don’t ever have to be ashamed, okay?”

TK nods, returning the smile.


	12. #34 - "Come to bed." (requested by sunshinestrand)

When Carlos gets home from his shift, he all but collapses into his bed. The shift itself wasn’t that bad. It was the headache and low-grade fever he was sure he was running throughout the day that made the shift unbearable.

But instead of calling out, he popped a few Tylenol and put on his best “I’m fine” smile. While he’s sure he didn’t fool, no one said anything and he was able to get through the day without any issue. 

Now that he was home, every symptom that he suppressed throughout the shift began to catch up to him. His entire body ached and he felt worse than when he first woke up.

His bed was a welcome comfort, the warm covers providing a soothing relief to his aching body and his pillow softening his headache. 

It doesn’t take long for him to fall asleep. By the time he comes to again, the room is much darker and he can hear movement in the kitchen of his home. Though his headache has dulled slightly, he doesn’t feel much better than a few hours prior. Ignoring the protests from his body, he forces himself to roll out of bed and investigate the source of the noise, though he’s pretty sure who the culprit is.

His suspicions are confirmed when he enters the kitchen and finds TK, making himself at home while heating up some leftovers from the other night.

“Hey,” TK looks up and greets him. “You were out like a light so I didn’t want to wake you. I hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and started eating.”

“It’s fine, I’m not very hungry anyway.”   
  
TK furrows his brow. “Your voice is scratchy. Are you feeling okay?”

_ Of course TK would notice that right away. _

“Yeah, I uh,” he clears his throat but it’s no use. TK is already concerned and there’s no backing away from that now. “I haven’t been feeling well all day.”

“Oh baby,” TK’s face softens. “Why don’t you go back and lie down?”

“As long as you come to bed with me…”

TK smirks but he shakes his head. “I think you just need to rest. Besides, I have some incident reports from my shift to fill out. But I’ll come check on you soon.”

“I just want to cuddle with you,” Carlos pouts.

They stare at each other, looking back and forth waiting for the other to break. Finally TK sighs and gives in. “Fine, I guess the paperwork can wait.”

Carlos smiles triumphantly and grabs TK’s hand as the couple walks down the hall and into the bedroom. Carlos lies down first and TK tucks him in.

“You said you would cuddle with me.”

“You need to rest,” TK states plainly. 

“I can rest with you.”

TK sighs in defeat before crawling into bed, curling up against Carlos and wrapping his arms around him from behind. Carlos immediately softens in the other man’s embrace. 

“Thank you,” he says softly. 

TK softly kisses him on the neck. “You’re welcome. Now rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on [tumblr](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) !


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